Automatic doughnut cooker



Jan. 12,1926. v 1,569,383

E. E. LINDSEY AUTOMATIC DOUGHNUT COOKER Filed Oct. '7, 1919 IN VEN TOR.

-' Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

[UNITED STATES ERNEST LINnsnir, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, "AssIeNoR on ONE-HALF 'ro JOHN H. HERRING, or PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA. I

nu'rom'rrc -DOUGHNUT cooxnn.

'a i ncati nalee October 7, 1919'. Serial No. 328,989.

To whom it may concern:.

' Be it known that I, ERNEST E. LINDSEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Fran cisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Automatic Doughnut Cooker,of which the following is a specification. 1 a 5 -My. invention relates to automatic doughnut cookers in which doughnuts are deposited, turned over, cooked, drained and delivered ready for use,'and the object of my improvements is to provide mechanical means for accomplishing this work in'place of the hand methods now invo e. i v v attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which Figure 1 is.a plan of the entire machine,

Figure 2 is a cross section of the machine along the line AA;

Figure .3 is a sectional detail along the line BB, showing the means used for turning the doughnuts;

Figure is a sectional detail along the line CC, showing the means used for draining and delivering the doughnuts.

. Similar numerals refento' similar parts throughout the several-views. While uncooked doughnuts may be prepared by hand, I-prefer to usea mechanical dough cutting and depositing device so.

placed thatthe doughnut is dropped at point 1 into the hot'oil or fat which fills channel 2. The doughnut is carriedalong the chanincl 2 by the current, of oil whichat-the proper time carries the doughnut against.

the upper inclined surfaceof belt 3 which is moving in the same .direetign as the oilcurrent. The doughnut is carried up by v the belt and is discharged over the upper pulleyv j on to the upper'side of belt l which is travelling in the opposite direction. 'The two", belts are so spaced and speeded that the" doughnut is at last discharged back inatothe oil in an inverted position so that the portion 0f the doughnut-previously immersed in the oil and which has been cooked is on top and the uncooked side is in the oil for further cooking. No means are shown for driving belts-3 and 4 as any convenient combination -of gears, chains, sprockets, belts and pulleys improvements in After being 'castback into the oil, the.

doughnut is carried along channel 2 to belt 5 where it is again raised out of the oil by said upper surface of belt is moving in the same dlrection as the/oil current and the.

doughnut iscarried on said-belt until it is discharged over. the upper pulley into any convenient receptacle.

' Channel 2 is here; shown with a spiral No means of driv-' mg belt 5 are sho-wn',fo r the same reasons as set forth 1n connection with belts 3 and 4.

plan, but any other course may be substituted, combined of. ta1ig'ents, angles, and curves, the only llmitationsbeing a sufli.

cient cross-sectional area to permit the doughnuts to pass and asuflicient lengthrso t that the time to travel the course will equal channel may be left open. The proper ,tem-

perature is maintainedin the oil by means of a. heating device under the 'ch'annel 2 shown here asaQgasbu'rne 6, though any other heating means may be employed, The hot oil or grease is caused to flow at the desired velocity along channel 2 by the cir-. i

culating pump 7 and the connected piping" which carries .the oil from the end of channel2 at point 8 back to point 1. The pump 7 may be driven by any convenient motor or mechanism but none is here shown. While this machine has been described as a dough-' nut cooking device, it will be noted that'f other dough' products may be cooked, and

als'othat nuts or any othenfoods'which may be treated or cooked in deep fat may be so treated or cooked in this machine, provided only thatthe specific gravity is not so great that theturrent of -oil will be unable to carry said-food along channel 2;

llclaim:

1. In apparatus for the fluid; and means for circulating the t for cooking free articles in hot fluid, the-combination of a receptacle fluid and for progressing-the articles overa gyratory coursein the receptacle,-under pro 'lpulsion by the fluid, including. a guide extending spirally outward from the center of the receptacle to its periphery.

2. A cooking apparatus comprising a re-. ceptaole ,or pan for a cooking fluid; means may be used in which therefis no novelty. for moving the fluid in the pan; means forf'j guiding the articles to be cooked over a circuitous course within the pan Whilst propelled by the moving fluid; and means "for turning over said articles during their travel through the apparatus.

8. In apparatus for cooking articles with hot fluid; the combination of a receptacle for the hot cooking fluid in which the articles to be cooked are propelled by motion of the fluid; and means in the path of travel of the articles under propulsion by the fluid for turning them over in the course of their travel, to insure cooking on both sides.

4; A cooking apparatus comprising a receptacle for containing a cooking fluid; a channel in said receptacle so disposed as to provide for the continuous circulation of the cooking fluid throughout said channel and having one portion of said channel so proportioned that articles of food may be de posited at one end of said portlon of said channel into said cooking fluid and thence transported by the current of the circulating thefluid for turning them over in the course ,cooking fluid through said portion of said channel to the other end thereof where said nel so proportioned that articles of food may be deposited at one end'of said portion of said channel into said cooking fluid and thence transported by the current of the circulating cooking fluid through said portion of said channel to the other end thereof Where said articles of food are removed from the cooking fluid after having been subjected to the temperature of the cooking fluid for a period of time long enough to properly cook the said articles of food; means for depositing said articles of food into said cooking fluid and means for removing said articles of food from said cooking fluid and means to cause the circulation of the cooking fluid, and means in the path of travel of the articles under propulsion by the fluid for turning them over in the course of their travel.

6. A cooking apparatus comprising a receptacle for containing a cooking fluid; a channel in said receptacle so disposed as .to provide for the continuous circulation of the cooking fluid throughout the said channel and having one portion of the said channel so proportioned that articles of food may be deposited at one end of said portion of said channel into said cooking fluid and thence transported by the current of the circulating cooking fluid part Way through said portion of said channel there turned over and thence transportedby the current of he circulating cooking fluid to the other end i said portion of the said channel Where said articles of food are removed from the cooking fluid after having been subjected to the temperature of the cooking fluid for a period of time long enough to properly cook first one side then 'after being turned over to properly cook the other side of said articles of food;

.means for depositing said articles of food into said-cooking fluid; means for turning over said articles of food; means" for removing said articles of food from said cooking fluid; means to cause the circulation of the said cooking fluid; and means to heat the said cooking fluid.

7. In a cooking apparatus of the type de' scribed, the combination of heating means havinga plurality of heating elements, a channel, means for circulating a fluid in said channel and for causing the circulation of fluid to transport the articles of food along the channel and cook the food and means in the path of travel of the articles under propulsion by the fluid for turnin them over in the course of their travel to insure cooking on. both sides;

8. In a cookin apparatus of the type described, the com ination of heating means having a plurality of heating elements, a

channel and means for circulating a cooking fluid in the channel to transport and cook the articles of food, said channel being arranged so that each article of food is successively subjected to heat from thediflerent elements of the heating means and means in the path of travel of the articles under propulsion by the fluid for turning them over in the course or" their-travel to insure cooking on both sides.

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